EU4Youth organises study visit to Tromsø, European Youth Capital 2026

On 18-22 February, the ‘EU4Youth: youth engagement and empowerment’ project organised a study visit to Tromsø, Norway, for representatives of the ‘Lviv – European Youth Capital 2025’ team, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Youth Affairs Council under the President of Ukraine, all actively involved in the implementation of the European Youth Capital 2025 title in Lviv. 

Lviv became the first city in Ukraine to be awarded the European Youth Capital title, with the process coordinated by the ‘Tvory’ youth network. Tromsø, as the European Youth Capital 2026, became a natural partner for an in-depth exchange of experience, practices, and approaches to youth policy and youth participation at the local level.

The programme included a series of thematic visits and meetings with key youth policy  stakeholders in Tromsø. Participants visited the GRAB youth space and the Tvibit Youth Centre, where they explored local models of youth work, youth-led initiatives, and the role of creative spaces in fostering participation, inclusion, and self-expression. Meetings were held with the Tromsø European Youth Capital 2026 team and the Tromsø Youth Council, providing a platform for direct exchange of experiences from Lviv’s EYC 2025 implementation, including participation models, youth engagement mechanisms, and cooperation with local authorities.

A dedicated meeting was held with representatives of Tromsø municipality responsible for youth-related activities, with the participation of local government officials and the Mayor of Tromsø. During this meeting, representatives of ‘Lviv – EYC 2025’ delivered a presentation on Lviv’s youth policy framework and the implementation of the EYC title in the context of war, highlighting governance arrangements, cooperation with public authorities, and the role of youth participation in strengthening community resilience.

This experience was further reflected during a panel discussion on ‘Young Resilience: How to Be Young in a Time of War. Lviv 2025’, where a participant from Lviv shared first-hand insights into the realities of youth engagement under wartime conditions, emphasising resilience, solidarity, and the transformative role of young people in sustaining communities.

The programme also included a visit to the Arctic University of Norway, where participants met with student organisations and self-government bodies to discuss youth representation, student participation in decision-making, and cooperation between universities and local communities. In addition, the delegation took part in a session with a young urban designer from Tromsø and explored several art installations, gaining insight into how urban development and artistic expression are used as tools for youth engagement and dialogue.

The central moment of the visit was the official opening ceremony of the European Youth Capital 2026, which symbolically marked the transition of the EYC title from Lviv to Tromsø. During the ceremony, the Lviv delegation handed over a symbolic key of the European Youth Capital to the Tromsø team, representing continuity, solidarity, and shared responsibility for advancing youth participation across Europe.

The study visit was organised by the ‘EU4Youth: youth engagement and empowerment’ project, co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ.